Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivered his opening address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Wednesday with a call for tougher action against terrorism, two days after a bomb blast at a Moscow airport killed 35 people.


Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks at the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 26, 2011. The 41st World Economic Forum kicked off here Wednesday with the theme of "Shared Norms for the New Reality". More than 2,500 elites from over 100 countries will focus their discussions during the five-day meeting on four main topics: responding to the new reality, the economic outlook and defining policies for inclusive growth, supporting the G20 agenda and building a risk response network.   (Xinhua/World Economic Forum)
"All our efforts to further develop the world economy will be for nothing if we fail to defeat terrorism, extremism and intolerance, if we fail to eradicate altogether these evils which are the greatest danger to mankind," Medvedev told some 2,500 participants in the opening session.


"Success can not be ensured by states alone, but through broad dialogue with civil society. The pain from the loss of human lives will stay in our hearts for long and strengthen our resolve to find a solution to international terror," he added.


The timing of the bomb indicated those responsible "expected that their act would bring Russia to its knees" and force the president to cancel his trip to Davos, but "they miscalculated," Medvedev said.


Medvedev also outlined his government's plans for modernizing the country's economy and sharpening Russia's global competitiveness.


"Our task is to turn Russia into a more attractive place for the best minds in the world," Medvedev said. "Russia is an open country that is already part of the world economy."


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet